Awarded two Grammys in 2013: Best Contemporary Classical Composition to Stephen Hartke and Best Chamber Music Performance to eighth blackbird for their album “Meanwhile” on Cedille Records (CDR90000133). Commissionedfor eighth blackbird by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition. Incorporates various forms of Asian court and theater music from Japanese Bunraku to Vietnamese water puppets both Indonesian and Turkish shadow puppets toclassic Burmese court theater.INSTRUMENTATION:Flute (d Picc A fl large Flexatone beaters removed); Clarinet (BCl large Flexatone beaters removed); Viola (scordatura: B-F#-C#-G#); Cello; Percussion; Piano

Full Score-The Persian traditional music (called the Dastgah Segah) is based on intervals made of three quarter-tones and natural whole-tones. Segah has no interval in common with the European/ Western equal-temperament tuning. This lack of common intervalsbetween the Segah mode and the equal-temperament tuning will lead to a cognitive dissonance if this mode is set against the equal-temperament system. My goal has been to elaborate on the innate tensions that exists between the two interval systemsand use it as a symbol for the existing political and cultural tensions between the Persian and the Western cultures. The piece consists of two Persian traditional instruments the Ney (Persian vertical bamboo flute) and the Kamanche (Persian spikefiddle) as the musical representatives of the Persian culture set against the Western orchestra as the musical representative of the Western culture. A small ensemble of Western instruments consisting of a harp and string quintet accompanies thePersian instruments. The harp is tuned to the Segah intervals and the string quintet plays in the Segah mode. The orchestra is performing inthe Western equal- temperament tuning. From the very first bars of the main section of the piece confusionsand misunderstandings arise. The orchestra being unable to play in Segah or understand the mode becomes more and more agitated. Musical tensions between the soloists and the orchestra lead to musical confrontations and finally to musicalviolence. The orchestra becomes extremely violent and militaristic and tries to suppress the soloists efforts to express their musical thoughts. In the midst of all these confusions and cultural misunderstandings musical connections and attractionsstart to take place. The orchestra and the soloists find themselves musically attracted to each other and start imitating each others musical phrases. Cognitive dissonances start to be gradually transformed to musical dialogues symbolizing thegradual replacement of the clash of civilizations with the dialogue of civilizations. Segah was written for Khosrow and Kian Soltani and premiered at the Segah Festival on January 15 2016.

This string quartet is a reflection on emperors and kings their works their passions and the inevitable passge of time. Specifically it follows the career of Artashes who ruled Armenia about twenty-two hundred years ago (190-160 BC) founded theArmenian capital Artashat and abducted his beautiful bride Satenik. The composer was struck by a 19th century painting of Artashes funeral with its grand and seemingly endless cortege the wailing throng lining the road the deceased king borne instate on a royal carriage all led by regal horsemen and a colorful phalanx of musicians. The music is divided into five short scenes played without pause: I. Cortege II. Theft III. Build IV. Cortege V. Farewell. Commissioned by the DilijanChamber Music Seriesfor the Lark Musical Society. Duration: c. 14 minutes

For flute english horn clarinet bassoon horn trumpet 2 percussionists (brake drum 3 crotales snare drum 3 tom-toms vibraphone) piano violin viola cello and doublebass. Precession was composed for the 1987 NewMusic Los Angeles Festival. The term 'precession' is used here both in its sense of a processional but more especially in its astronomical sense of a cyclical process that recurs according to a slowly changing pattern. Forexample the opening of the work involves the juxtaposition of a melodic phrase that is gradually shortened with an accompanimental gesture that increases in length. Other musical devices used are intended to reinforce this senseof independent yet related cycles among them the application of the principles of change-ringing to aspects of the orchestration.

Full Score-Commissioned by Christina Jennings and Bright Music of OK. Performed at over 50 different venues and ensembles. Notable performances include The Left Bank at the Kennedy Center for the Arts and Contemporary Music Forum at the Corcoran Gallery of Art Wash. D.C Florida State University New Music Festival The Empyrean Ensemble and Left Coast Ensemble in SanFrancisco The American Modern Ensemble at the Times Center The New Millennium Ensemble at the Princeton Center for Advanced Study Eighth Blackbird at Contempo Series in Chicago Orion Ensemble (arranged for clarinet violin cello and piano) Chicago Ganz Hall Chicago Delfians Project Cal State Fresno New MusicFestival Juventus New Music Aspen Ensemble at University of Baltimore Talis Festival in Switzerland. And many more. On Centaur CD: High Wire Acts CRC 3098

Danzas is a suite inspired by the music of Latin America. It is a great choice for a Pops or an outdoor concert and is playable by amateur and student ensembles as well as professional orchestras. The work consists of three movements each devoted to the musicalculture of a different country: 1. Argentina 2. Brazil 3. Cuba. It may be performed as a whole or individual movements may be played instead as an opener/ closer.

Commissioned by the Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East. This piece was written for an amateur ensemble and is suitable for good high school age musicians and above. Instrumentation: Flute English Horn Clarinet Bassoon 2 Violins Viola Cello and Doublebass.